Savory Spice Shop makes everything in my kitchen possible. I love these shrimp.

I made up a rub with:

• 1/2 TB garlic powder
• 1 TB granulated onion
• 1 tsp Aleppo pepper
• 1 tsp ground black pepper
• a pinch of sea salt
• 1 TB olive oil

I had thawed some frozen shrimp, peeled them leaving the tail, de-veined the suckers, and coated them in this spice mixture. They grilled for just a few minutes and were delicious.

I served them with my Grilled Tomatillo Guacamole.

I took off the skins and took out the pits of two avocados. Then I covered them in a little olive oil and lemon juice and grilled them hollow side down for 3-4 minutes.

I love making and drinking a good, home made Bloody Mary in the summer. This summer, I’ll be adding cracked pepper vodka.

I cracked some pepper and put it in a bottle of Vodka.

I tipped the bottle upside down a few times. Then I let it sit… maybe for too long… I think it was a few weeks. Every few days I tipped it upside down to move the pepper. Finally, I strained out the pepper and poured the vodka back into its bottle.

The final product was really peppery. I’ll see how it tastes in drinks and let you know.

Spring garlic smells absolutely amazing. Especially when you cut into it.

I had some spring garlic from Jay Hill Farm, and fresh shiitake and cinnamon cap mushrooms from Hazel Dell, so I wanted to put them together in a dish.

I decided to make a stir-fry with some carrots and firm tofu that had been frozen, thawed, and pressed.

First, I sliced 4 bulbs of the spring garlic, 1 carrot, 1/2 pound of mushrooms, and cubed the tofu.

Next, I heated 1 TB of olive oil and 1 TB of butter in a wok. When that was hot, I added 1 TB of freshly grated ginger and let that get hot before adding the mushrooms and tofu. I moved this around in the wok a bit to distribute to buttery goodness as evenly as possible before adding the spring garlic and a couple tablespoons of soy sauce.

I let this cook on medium high for 10 minutes or so before adding a little more olive oil and the carrots.

Next, I squeezed 1/2 lemon, mixed it up, and added a big handful of coarsely chopped turnip greens. I mixed those in, sprinkled the top with a tablespoon or so of Cambodian Lemongrass Curry Powder from Savory Spice Shop, mixed again, and let it cook a few minutes until the greens turned a vibrant green.

I served it over brown rice and drizzled a little the following dressing, which made enough to drizzle on two plates plus extra to put in my Spring Garlic Broth:

• 2 TB soy sauce
• juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 tsp Sambal Oelek (Asian Chili Paste)
• 1 TB Kecap Manis (Sweet Soy Sauce)

Enjoy.